This invention generally relates to outdoor sprinklers and portable watering systems.
Most houses and other residential buildings, especially in the U.S., are surrounded by areas of lawns, gardens, flowers, bushes, and trees, often including a front yard and a back yard. Many of these areas are generally rectangularly-shaped and are often bordered by houses, fences, driveways, streets, and sidewalks, which form generally straight lines and right angles.
Many people's choice of the type of sprinkler used to water these areas is the common oscillating sprinkler. These are inexpensive and versatile, and water more square feet of area than other types of sprinklers.
Water is supplied to a prior art oscillating sprinkler from a standard faucet and a standard garden hose. These sprinklers typically consist of a base structure on which is mounted a water motor and an oscillating tube with a plurality of nozzles. The tube oscillates back and forth along its longitudinal axis by way of the water motor powered by the flow of water from the faucet and hose. This oscillation directs the spray back and forth in opposite directions. In order to water areas wider than the length of the oscillating tube, directional spray must be produced, so that for example, an oscillating tube twelve inches in length may typically produce a water distribution pattern for example, forty to fifty feet in width at the widest point of its generally elliptical water distribution pattern. Directional spray is produced either by using a curved tube as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,248, or else by placing the nozzles at longitudinally outward angles along a straight tube, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,490.
There may be problems and inefficiencies with the use of prior art oscillating sprinklers because the directional spray may impact the ground at relatively great distances widthwise when the oscillating tube is in the vertical position, then may impact the ground at progressively lesser distances widthwise as the oscillating tube rotates toward the right or left horizontal-most oscillating position. This may produce the classic generally elliptical water distribution pattern which is convexly curved at both ends and on both sides. As in FIGS. 1a, b, and c, no matter where the prior art oscillating sprinkler 21 is located within a substantially rectangular area to be watered 22, the generally elliptical water distribution pattern 23 may be geometrically incompatible. If the prior art oscillating sprinkler is located where the water will reach the corners Y, then much of the water may fall outside of the area as waste water and/or run-off waste water X. If it falls on surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, or streets, it may become run-off waste water which may carry pollutants such as fertilizers and herbicides into streams and lakes, etc. Waste water is an ethical and environmental problem in many areas of the U.S. and the world where there are fresh water shortages. Many cities may impose fines for wasting water. Alternatively, if the sprinkler is located where it will not produce waste water and/or run-off waste water X, then the corners Y may not receive water. It may be very time-consuming and aggravating to somehow provide water to all of the corners Y separately.
Conversely, as in FIGS. 1d, e, and f, a current invention oscillating sprinkler 24 may produce a substantially rectangular water distribution pattern 25 substantially geometrically compatible with a typical substantially rectangular area to be watered 22, and may resolve many problems and inefficiencies of prior art oscillating sprinklers. By appropriately adjusting the flow from the faucet, appropriately locating the sprinkler, and optionally engaging or disengaging adjustable stops on the oscillation mechanism, a substantially rectangular area may be watered with a current invention sprinkler efficiently, and with minimal waste water and/or run-off waste water X, and the corners Y may be efficiently and automatically watered. Even the L-shaped area of FIG. 1f, including its corners Y, may be watered with minimal waste water and/or run-off waste water X by relocating a current invention sprinkler only one time.
By selectively engaging or disengaging adjustable stops on the oscillation mechanism of a prior art oscillating sprinkler, a water distribution pattern generally shaped like an ellipse, or the right, left, or center section of an ellipse may be produced, also, manual adjustments may widen or elongate the generally elliptical water distribution pattern—but a prior art oscillating sprinkler simply may not be designed to produce a substantially rectangular water distribution pattern.
A current invention oscillating sprinkler may reduce waste water and/or run-off waste water X, and may efficiently and automatically provide water to the corners Y of typical substantially rectangular areas to be watered 22.